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80 COMPANY SKETCHES AND ROSTERS.
with the malarial fever in Arkansas in the summer of 1862, had unfitted me for service, and like a large percentage of others, I returned North, greatly to my own regret. It was like leaving home and family, so attached had I become to the noble-hearted young men of this remarkable company ; and the preparation of this sketch has been to me a labor of love and affection, which I am truly thankful to be allowed to perform.
Few, even of our most careful observers, are aware of the immense importance of the movement which was taking place in the winter of 1863 and 1804 towards the re-enlistment of the soldiers in the field. Its influence on the result of the war can hardly be overestimated. Here were about one hundred thousand of the best soldiers the world ever saw, trained, sifted, disciplined, hardy, patriotic soldiers, the best possible material, comprising the most truly patriotic of all our noble army, ready to forego the pleasure of home and again offer up their lives, if needed, for another term of three years. When compared with the class of volunteers the government was getting at that date—mere bounty-grabbers in some cases, or young boys, barely, perhaps rarely, of proper age for enlistment, these veteran volunteers were worth three or four times an equal number of the kind of men then being furnished to fill the quotas of the different states.
Posterity will never value these soldiers at their true worth, because those who were living at the time were generally unable to properly estimate the enormous importance of the movement. Every man who thus enlisted was a real hero, and it is a shame that the public has never found a way to give separate and special honor to every soldier of this class.
Company A furnished its full share of the regiment's re-enlisted veterans, when the movement took place on the Texas shore of the Gulf of Mexico. No less than forty-five of its number can boast of having their names on this proud roll of honor, their service dating from January 1, 1864, to the time of their muster-out, November 24, 1865. Of this number only two lost their lives from casualty, and those were killed in the railroad wreck near Boutee Station, Louisiana, March 2, 1865. It is a remarkable fact that out of these forty-five stalwart, sturdy heroes, nearly or quite twenty are alive at the time of this writing.
The regimental organization enlisted for three years more and the veterans all went home on a thirty-day furlough. Those who had not re-enlisted were then transferred to the 99th Illinois, and the veterans made
a jolly trip to Illinois. They were given a reception at Bloomington, which was then my home, and where I had the pleasure of assisting in carrying out the plans made for the entertainment of those who came as far north as that city. The public appeared to realize the great importance of the affair; but, as I have stated, very few actually understood the value to the Union cause of this tremendous reinforcement given to the armies in the field. The rebels, however, realized full well what one such soldier or officer was worth to our side of the question, and this great movement turned the scale in our favor more powerfully than anything else. From this time forward the Rebellion was doomed.
Quite a number of those whose three-years' term had expired, who felt they had performed their full share of putting down the Rebellion, or whose future duties required their presence at home, did not re-enlist, but in good faith served their term and returned to their homes in the summer and fall of 1864. Everyone of these, as well as the soldiers discharged for disability, is fully entitled to the Nation's gratitude, and is justified in taking pride in his own record and in the record of his company and regiment. All such can surely join in giving honor to those who performed more than their own full share by re-enlisting in the field on that lonely Texas coast.
How well our comrades have succeeded in life, what rewards they have now, may be inferred from the good reports heard at the eight or ten regimental reunions held since the war, where Company A is always represented and where the survivors gladly hear excellent accounts from the great majority of their comrades, whether present, absent or accounted for. Some of these, five or more, have been members of the State Legislatures of Illinois, Ohio, Dakota or Kansas. Others have become bankers or capitalists; several are wealthy farmers; others are successful business men ; a few have been teachers or literary men, and others have prospered in the various walks of life. Very few have been obliged to take refuge in Soldiers' Homes; scarcely any are poor, though a few have been unfortunate in many ways. Not a single company in the regiment can boast of a better feeling of comradeship, and it is thought no other company, excepting, possibly, B Company, has kept up such a large and enjoyable communication.
J. H. BURNHAM,
Bloomington, Ill.
Object Description
| Title | History of the Thirty-Third Regiment Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, 22nd August, 1861, to 7th December, 1865 |
| Creator | Way, Virgil Gilman, 1847- |
| Contributors | Elliott, Isaac Hughes, 1837-1922 |
| Subject [LCSH] |
Illinois. 33d Regiment, 1861-1865 United States --History --Civil War, 1861-1865 --Regimental histories --Illinois Infantry --33d |
| Description | History of the Thirty-Third Regiment Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, 22nd August, 1861, to 7th December, 1865 |
| Date Original | 1902 |
| Format | Book |
| Digital Format | JPEG |
| Language | eng |
| Contributing Institution | Illinois State Library |
| Rights | Materials in this collection are made available by the Illinois State Library. To request reproductions or inquire about permissions, contact: islimg@ilsos.net. Please cite the item title and collection name. |
| Identifier | 2849438 |
| Type | Text |
| Collection Name | Illinois and the Civil War - Documents |
| OCLC number | 830038418 |
Description
| Title | Page 80 |
| Transcript | 80 COMPANY SKETCHES AND ROSTERS. with the malarial fever in Arkansas in the summer of 1862, had unfitted me for service, and like a large percentage of others, I returned North, greatly to my own regret. It was like leaving home and family, so attached had I become to the noble-hearted young men of this remarkable company ; and the preparation of this sketch has been to me a labor of love and affection, which I am truly thankful to be allowed to perform. Few, even of our most careful observers, are aware of the immense importance of the movement which was taking place in the winter of 1863 and 1804 towards the re-enlistment of the soldiers in the field. Its influence on the result of the war can hardly be overestimated. Here were about one hundred thousand of the best soldiers the world ever saw, trained, sifted, disciplined, hardy, patriotic soldiers, the best possible material, comprising the most truly patriotic of all our noble army, ready to forego the pleasure of home and again offer up their lives, if needed, for another term of three years. When compared with the class of volunteers the government was getting at that date—mere bounty-grabbers in some cases, or young boys, barely, perhaps rarely, of proper age for enlistment, these veteran volunteers were worth three or four times an equal number of the kind of men then being furnished to fill the quotas of the different states. Posterity will never value these soldiers at their true worth, because those who were living at the time were generally unable to properly estimate the enormous importance of the movement. Every man who thus enlisted was a real hero, and it is a shame that the public has never found a way to give separate and special honor to every soldier of this class. Company A furnished its full share of the regiment's re-enlisted veterans, when the movement took place on the Texas shore of the Gulf of Mexico. No less than forty-five of its number can boast of having their names on this proud roll of honor, their service dating from January 1, 1864, to the time of their muster-out, November 24, 1865. Of this number only two lost their lives from casualty, and those were killed in the railroad wreck near Boutee Station, Louisiana, March 2, 1865. It is a remarkable fact that out of these forty-five stalwart, sturdy heroes, nearly or quite twenty are alive at the time of this writing. The regimental organization enlisted for three years more and the veterans all went home on a thirty-day furlough. Those who had not re-enlisted were then transferred to the 99th Illinois, and the veterans made a jolly trip to Illinois. They were given a reception at Bloomington, which was then my home, and where I had the pleasure of assisting in carrying out the plans made for the entertainment of those who came as far north as that city. The public appeared to realize the great importance of the affair; but, as I have stated, very few actually understood the value to the Union cause of this tremendous reinforcement given to the armies in the field. The rebels, however, realized full well what one such soldier or officer was worth to our side of the question, and this great movement turned the scale in our favor more powerfully than anything else. From this time forward the Rebellion was doomed. Quite a number of those whose three-years' term had expired, who felt they had performed their full share of putting down the Rebellion, or whose future duties required their presence at home, did not re-enlist, but in good faith served their term and returned to their homes in the summer and fall of 1864. Everyone of these, as well as the soldiers discharged for disability, is fully entitled to the Nation's gratitude, and is justified in taking pride in his own record and in the record of his company and regiment. All such can surely join in giving honor to those who performed more than their own full share by re-enlisting in the field on that lonely Texas coast. How well our comrades have succeeded in life, what rewards they have now, may be inferred from the good reports heard at the eight or ten regimental reunions held since the war, where Company A is always represented and where the survivors gladly hear excellent accounts from the great majority of their comrades, whether present, absent or accounted for. Some of these, five or more, have been members of the State Legislatures of Illinois, Ohio, Dakota or Kansas. Others have become bankers or capitalists; several are wealthy farmers; others are successful business men ; a few have been teachers or literary men, and others have prospered in the various walks of life. Very few have been obliged to take refuge in Soldiers' Homes; scarcely any are poor, though a few have been unfortunate in many ways. Not a single company in the regiment can boast of a better feeling of comradeship, and it is thought no other company, excepting, possibly, B Company, has kept up such a large and enjoyable communication. J. H. BURNHAM, Bloomington, Ill. |
| Collection Name | Illinois and the Civil War - Documents |
